1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to certain substituted, crosslinked polyaromatic fluid separation membranes particularly useful for separating gases, and processes for using these membranes.
2. Background Information
U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,939 discloses gas separation processes using as the separation vehicle single layer semipermeable membranes containing at least one substituted poly(arylene oxide) polymer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,488,886 discloses asymmetric polymeric gas separation membranes comprised of amorphous aryl substituted arylene oxide polymers.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,472,175 and 4,486,202 disclose a gas separation membrane comprised of, for example, polyphenylene oxide, a polysulfone, or cellulose acetate, which have been treated with acid to enhance selectivity.
V. Percec and B. Auman in "Functional Polymers and Sequential Copolymers By Phase Transfer Catalysis", Makromol. Chem. 185, 2319-2336 (1984), and in "Polyaromatics with Terminal or Pendant Styrene Groups", "Reactive Oligomers", ACS Symposium Series 282, 91-104 (1985) disclose vinyl poly(phenylene oxide) polymers crosslinked using the vinyl side chains.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,375,298 discloses polymers comprised of alkyl, including vinyl, substituted polyphenylene oxides which are crosslinked with epoxy, isocyanate, or other crosslinkers reactive with amines.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,468,501 and 4,468,502 disclose crosslinked polymers comprised of alkyl polyphenylene oxides having benzylic halogens which are crosslinked by reaction with ammonia or a primary amine.
Although separation membranes have been studied extensively for many years, there remains an unfulfilled need for membranes having increased durability to numerous contaminants present in the fluids these membranes are used to separate.